Beside Me
by Lichtblick
Summary: Kai gets some news on his parents. Alongside with Tala and Tyson he sets out for an adventure which gets more and more confusing. A KaiTalaTyson friendship story
1. Prologue

**Title: _Beside Me_**

Summary: Kai gets some news on his parents. Alongside with Tala and Tyson he sets out for an adventure, which gets more and more confusing. A Kai-Tala-Tyson friendship story  
**Setting: **A few yearsafter G-Rev  
**Rating/Warnings: **not sure, perhaps T for some violence, angst and innuendos to child abuse.  
**Spoilers:** Small ones to the end of G-Rev and my other story Visiting Day, but it is unnecessary to read it. I'll explain everything you need to know.  
**Disclaimer: **I really am infringing on someone else copyright, but I mean it in the best possible way.****

_Author's Notes:__ Here you have the prologue of my new story. It's a friendship story again (why isn't there a friendship genre?), this time it focuses on Kai, Tala and Tyson. There will be many, many arguments and drama, and some character insights. I hope you'll all like it. It will have ** around** ten chapters when it's complete, but that isn't a promise. More about the fic in the next chapter, which should be posted shortly.  
Oh, and I want to thank everyone who reviewed the third chapter of **Visiting Day**. You are great!_****

1. Prologue

"Mr. Hiwatari? Are you listening to me?"

The young man looked up, his fists balled on the armrests on his right and left sides. He intensely stared at the man in front of him.  
Somewhere around forty in age, the blond man still seemed agile and lively. Definitely not the person one would expect to sit behind a big mahagony desk with nothing more on it than an expensive desk set and a ridiculous grand, polished name plate in his front with the impressive words 'Arthur Bradshaw – Notary'. And of course now there lay the file in front of Mr. Bradshaw. The words written down in there on several papers were the whole reason they sat here.

"I want to see it for myself." The young man's voice betrayed nothing of tenseness his body showed, it was flat, experienced and kind of threatening.

Mr. Bradshaw seemed to have expected such behavior, but the fierceness let him become defensive immediately. "I'm sorry, that I can't tell you more. The information is confidential. There's no way for you to read the will."  
He stood up as if the talk was over. "Since there is nothing more to say, I think this is finished now. There's more work waiting for me."

One curve of an elegant mouth lifted, forming the lips into a slight and much-tested smirk. Crimson eyes became even more fiercely and eyebrows were raised a bit, but other than that the young man didn't move. For him this talk wasn't anywhere near over, the dismissal of the older man meant nothing to him.

"You'll have to keep all that work waiting for a bit longer." The words were precisely chosen. Everything was fitting together. The smirk, the voice and the irony, which referred to the absence of any other files and the empty waiting room outside. "Sit down again."

The blond was angry at both himself and the young Hiwatari. He obviously had underestimated the professionalisms the young man had already obtained, he seemed to know his position perfectly and was able to use his traits, such as the talent to intimidate others or to stay calm no matter of the situation. The boy seemed to have more of his grandfather than he had been told.  
Despite of his desire to throw this arrogant Hiwatari brat out, he knew he couldn't. And he knew, that if he would demand to read the last will again, he would need to give in. The boy had the law on his side, and if the police would start to look around here, his career as notary would be over.  
He had fulfilled his part of the plan long ago. And he was getting too little money out of this nevertheless. Should the others see how to solve this problem. It wasn't his. Just as long as he got the money!

The black-haired young man could literary see the man think. From the moment he had seen the lawyer, he had known that he wasn't trustworthy. Hadn't Voltaire noticed?  
He relaxed, when he saw Bradshaw sit down after all. He had nearly thought, that he had to think off another tactic, to get the information he sought. But since it worked, he should stay with preferred strategy of just intimidating his opponents until he got what he wanted. Was it just some time alone or, like in this case, to read his grandfather's last will.

"Listen Mr. Bradshaw! I've known this man better than anyone else. He had no friends, and that not without reason, he would never give any money to charity, if he could not profited of it, and being dead like he is, I'm sure he can't, it would be unbelievable if he left anything to his staff. And still you want to tell me, that despite me being his only relative, I'm not his heir? That he passed on everything to someone else? Try again Mister. I want to read this file, and I know that it is my right to do so!"

There was so much venom in the young man's voice, that the notary involuntary shuddered. Even if he hadn't decided that he would give file freely, he would have done so now. It was like a reflex, perhaps installed in him when he was still child, whenever someone spoke with that much authority, you did what he said. So even now he handed the papers over without further thought.

The young man studied the page in silence. It was filled with a neat, nearly over-exact, handwriting, which he recognized only too good. The date in the top right-hand corner caught his attention. The testament had been written two years ago. He had lived with Voltaire back then, had cared for the old man, when his age and Alzheimer had started to become a too big handicap for him to master daily tasks. He had been the only one who had been there for his grandfather, and that despite everything that had happened before! When the sickness had come to a later stage, he had been the one feeding and washing him, not allowing for the old man to be send to nursing home.  
All this was another reason why he could not believe, that Voltaire would appoint someone else as his heir. So who was the one, that had been chosen over him?

_'... So everything in my possession, will be passed on to the next generation. I'm pleased to be able to leave my money, houses and stocks in the skilled hands of my only son Fjodor Hiwatari. I hope that he and his wife will be able to even increase my fortune, so that the reputation of the Hiwatari's will live on, even after my passing away. ...'_

It continued with information about the burial arrangements, which the man didn't care for. Instead he read and re-read the one paragraph over and over again. The words stood there, but they couldn't be true, could they?  
If that Fjodor Hiwatari indeed existed and assumed he really was Voltaire's only son, then he had to be his father. But his parents were dead. Or so he had always believed. The words written down said otherwise. He read the whole page again. Was this a sick game? Or was he dreaming?  
He needed to clear his thoughts. Get out of here. Away from the man on the other side of the desk. The notary was staring at him and that for some time now. Interest and expectancy clearly written on his face. The man had known the whole time, he had known what this meant for him, what important information this piece of paper held.  
A sudden hate boiled up in the young man. Secrets, so many secrets. But no that hadn't been true secrets, even that guy in front of him had known. If it was true.

He was so confused. Shakily he stood up, the file still held tightly in his hand. "I'm taking this."

Mr. Bradshaw smiled the first time this day. Suddenly the young man wasn't so arrogant anymore, and the self-confidence in his voice had left him. He seemed much younger now, not like the man that he had portrayed before.  
"If you want Mr. Hiwatari." The words were spoken in a tone that made clear, that they didn't hold any respect.

The black-haired man didn't seem to care anymore. He hurrying stumbled out of the room without so much as a nod as goodbye.  
****

_So what do you think of my first ever written prologue? It was really fun to write it, the next chapter just needs some more reworking and then will be posted.  
Comments of every kind would be very welcome. Until next time!_


	2. Chapter 1

**Title: _Beside Me_**

**Summary:** Kai gets some news on his parents. Alongside with Tala and Tyson he sets out for an adventure, which gets more and more confusing. A Kai-Tala-Tyson friendship story  
**Setting: **A few yearsafter G-Rev  
**Rating/Warnings: **not sure, perhaps T for some violence, angst and innuendos to child abuse.  
**Spoilers:** Small ones to the end of G-Rev and my other story Visiting Day, but it is unnecessary to read it. I'll explain everything you need to know.  
**Disclaimer: **I really am infringing on someone else copyright, but I mean it in the best possible way.****

**2.Chapter One**

**_Don't walk behind me, I may not lead._**  
_**Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.**_  
**_Just walk beside me and be my friend._**  
**_(Albert Camus)_**

Tyson knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it. And it wasn't like it was out of malicious glee or anything, no it was pure wonder.

The man in front of him was Kai, his former team captain and best friend. That he was sure of. But the disheveled figure looked nothing like the always neat and perfect ex-Bladebreaker. He resembled more one of the junkies, who hang around in the youth center around the corner. Like he was high and couldn't understand the world anymore, perhaps even more like he wasn't part of it at all.

With this realization the stare changed to a more concerned and curious look.  
"Kai?" Tyson asked testily, not sure of the reaction his disturbance might create. But there was none, and he reluctantly continued. "I'm sorry if I interrupt anything, but what's up?"

Tyson listened intensive to his own words. Somehow they didn't seem right. Yeah, why should he apologize? It wasn't like he was not invited or anything.  
It had only been yesterday, that they had talked about going out and watching a film this evening. Kai was the one, who had asked him if he wanted to come over a bit earlier, and had promised that he would cook. So what? It wasn't his fault that Kai was neither dressed for going out, nor could Tyson smell the slightest trace of food.  
But even though some people called him insensitive, he now knew, that it wasn't the right time to dwell on Kai's broken promise.

When he had arrived at Kai's apartment a few minutes before no one had answered the door. That wasn't unusual in itself. Everyone who knew him wouldn't expect Kai to open and just walked in, and everyone would only be let in, if they were invited. That was typical Kai behavior and after years of coping with it Tyson started to find it even logical, but still he rang the doorbell every time he came around, perhaps just out of habit or to forewarn his friend of his coming.

Tyson had found the other young man seated on the couch in his living-room. That had been the first odd thing, because Kai never used this room when alone. When he had moved here, he hadn't even wanted a living-room, but since the smallest room stood empty and Tyson had pleaded so much, Kai had finally decided to put some unused furniture in it and call it a living-room. And still, he normally only sat food into it to clean. Tyson had never understood it. 'A bedroom to sleep, a kitchen to cook, an office to work in. So why can't you just find an use for a living-room Kai?'

Kai knew that Tyson was there, seated on the table in front of him, and he had heard his words. But still he couldn't bring himself to answer. Self-hate dwelt up into him. 'Why do I have to be so damn melodramatic?'

As an opening he nodded to the file on the seat next to him. "You can read it."

Tyson scanned the first page, but wasn't sure what it was that he held in his hands. "What's this?"

"It's Voltaire's last will. I got it from the lawyer today." Kai was a bit relieved. It was much easier to talk about it now that he started than he had believed before.

The blue-haired man took some more time to read the text. Like the other had before he read it again and again. "I... I don't understand this. What's does this mean? That you don't get anything? And where does this other guy so suddenly come from? You've never said anything about another relative than Voltaire."

Kai stood, walking nervously through the room, one moment going straight for the window and the next turning around to face his friend again.  
"It means that I'm not his heir, it means not only that I have a relative, but he's his 'only son', that means he's my father. And you know what? I didn't know anything about it. I thought they were dead!" Kai's voice sounded more than agitated, he was nearly shouting in his frustration and Tyson involuntary flinched at the bitterness he heard.

He was thinking. Could that really be? Why would Kai have thought his parents to be dead, when they were still alive? Could it be, that Voltaire was playing with his grandson again? Making Kai believe that he had a family, getting his hopes up, and then shatter everything again, would surely be a low move, but one Tyson believed Voltaire to be capable of. But the old man was dead now, so he had nothing from this. Still he had never needed a reason to destroy people's live.

"Kai, do you think this is true?" At his friend's questioning look, he elaborated. "I mean, perhaps it's just a trick, so that you don't get his money. It would be possible."

"No, no." Kai shook his head vehemently. "He had changed Tyson. In the last time we lived together, he was different. He was almost nice, and he accepted my help. I think this more something like an apology, he gives me the change to find them."

Tyson wanted to reply, that Voltaire had had no other possibility than to be nice, because he couldn't even feed himself anymore, much less talk for that matter, and having no friends Kai had been his only help. But Tyson didn't say anything. They had been through this topic more than once. They had fought about it more intense than in any beybladematch. This argument had been the reason, why they hadn't spoken with each other for over a month.  
The younger man still couldn't understand why Kai hadn't been able to see that he was right. Voltaire had taken everything away from him. His family, his childhood, his happiness and while he had lived here nearly even their friendship.

"I won't start again on this."

Kai had been deep in thought again, and so he needed some time to register that he was talked to.  
"Good. I'm going to fly this afternoon."

"Flying? Where to? Why?" Tyson felt like he had missed part of their conversation.

"I want to find my parents Tyson and I don't know where to start looking, but perhaps I know someone who does." Kai was nervous. Now that he had plan, everything needed to happen faster and faster for him.

"Kai were do you want to fly to? Who do you think can help you?" Tyson thought that he somehow wasn't getting through to Kai.

"I don't have the time to discuss this with you. I have to pack."  
Kai turned around and started to walk out of the room, sure that Tyson would find the exit by himself. He had different matters to think about now. A hand on his elbow, holding him back caught his attention.

"Kai, please think clearly for a moment. You're rushing into things!"

"No Tyson, I've waited far to long." The slightly smaller man could do nothing but watch as his friend broke free from his grip and left the room.

**xxxxxx**

Tyson scanned the airport. Kai needed to be here somewhere, or so he hoped. Why should the other man wait for him? He surely hadn't sounded like he would suddenly decide to accompany him. And to be honest Tyson still wasn't so sure, if that was the right decision.

Tyson felt bad, when he thought back to the confrontation, that had only taken place a few hours ago between the two friends.  
He sighed deeply while walking further into the grand hall. The last few years their relationship had become extremely strained. Only after Voltaire's death they had gotten back together. Voltaire! The man had the unique talent to cause trouble, may he be alive or dead.  
First the old man had ruined his grandson's mind, so that the boy hadn't been able to trust or befriend anyone. It had taken a long time for Tyson to get Kai to accept him as anything close to a friend.  
Then, when everything had looked so good after they had won against BEGA a doctor had come forward and informed Kai that Voltaire was his patient. He had Alzheimer and now needed constant care. Though no one had directly asked him, Kai immediately offered to take him in. Tyson (and nearly everyone else) had been against it back then out of the fright, that the old man would ruin everything again. And he was proved right.  
Kai had turned all his power and interest to his grandfather, never having time for his friends anymore, or even for himself. When the old man had finally died after a year of being unable to leave the bed, Kai had come back forward again, and Tyson had happily welcomed him back.  
The time had been hard for both of them. And now? Now their friendship was strained once again by Voltaire.

Perhaps that was the reason why he was here now. He wouldn't allow that Kai and him were parted again by one of Voltaire's schemes. And since Kai had decided to fly, Tyson would follow him. But first he needed to find him!

Tyson walked with a flow of people, which came in right behind him. He watched the crowd around him. From time to time he was convinced that he had found his friend, only to call out to complete strange men.  
Then just when he thought, that he was too late, he caught a glimpse of dual-colored hair. 'Last chance, please let it be you Kai.'

Kai stared at his ticket, then at the clock, and then back at his ticket. He had to wait twenty more minutes to finally get onto that plane still. The young man knew he was impatient, but didn't care right now. After all this could become one of the most important days in his entire life!

"Kai!"

He wasn't sure, if he should turn around. He didn't want anything or anyone to interrupt him right now. His mind was set, nothing could change that. So why shouldn't he turn?

Tyson observed nervously as the young man turned. His tensely pressed together lips formed into a wide grin, when he recognized his friend. 'The famous Tyson-luck is back at work!'

"What do you want Tyson?" The greeting was less than friendly, and strangely both men cringed at it.

"I'm coming with you." Tyson felt no need to talk around his request.

"You do?" Kai not only was, but also looked nonplussed. He hadn't even thought about taking anyone with him.

"Yeah well, I'm sorry that I wasn't really helpful earlier. It was just ..." Tyson stocked in his speech, when he registered that Kai had turned around and started to walk away. That couldn't be true! What was Kai thinking, Tyson was apologizing after all!

"Hey where are you going?"

Kai looked quizzically at him, as if he hadn't noticed the angered tone in his former teammates voice.  
"You said, that you wanted to come along. We still need to buy a ticket for you."

The grin returned to Tyson's face, when he took of running after Kai.

**Tbc …**

**_So, Tyson was in this one and we'll finally get to Tala in the next chapter. And don't worry, we won't lose sight of him after that one again. ;-) I'm really looking forward to him, cause with him there the fighting will increase.  
I hope you all liked this one. If you have some time, then I'd really appreciate it, if you left a review. Until next time!_**


	3. Chapter 2

**Title: _Beside Me_**

Summary: Kai gets some news on his parents. Alongside with Tala and Tyson he sets out for an adventure, which gets more and more confusing. A Kai-Tala-Tyson friendship story  
**Setting: **A few yearsafter G-Rev, the boys are young men now between the age of 18 and 20  
**Rating/Warnings: **not sure, perhaps T for some violence, angst and innuendos to child abuse.  
**Spoilers:** Small ones to the end of G-Rev and my other story Visiting Day, but it is unnecessary to read it. I'll explain everything you need to know.  
**Disclaimer: **I really am infringing on someone else copyright, but I mean it in the best possible way.**  
**

**CyborgRockStar:** I really don't know how to thank. Your reviews are always appreaciated, more than encouraging and even manage to make me smile days later.

**party freak: **I'm glad you came across this story, even if it isn't your usual style. I hope you'll keep enjoying it. Thank you very much for your review.****

3. Chapter Two

"You could have told me we were flying to Russia, you know. It would have given me at least the chance to pack some warmer clothes." Tyson grumbled for the fifths time now, while stumbling behind Kai along the empty road.

Kai was more concerned by their directions, so he didn't take the time to answer. He really hoped that the information he had gotten from that bus driver were correct, or else Tyson would honestly have a reason to complain.  
The street they followed the last two hours resembled more a country lane. There were nothing around them but fields and meadows, the two lone figures couldn't make out a house anywhere along the horizon around them.

"Could you at least tell me what we are doing here? You said you knew someone who might be of help, but you still haven't said who that might be, or why you couldn't just call him." Tyson was getting frustrated. He was cold, tired and was being ignored for the last hours, a combination that didn't fit well with him, and he was going to let it show.

The crisp tone caught Kai's attention. He decided, that he couldn't do anything about their location right now anyway, and it was probably for the best to prepare Tyson for what was to come."

"I couldn't call, because it would be easier for him to refuse that way. I also wouldn't have been able to explain on the phone. And for whom we're gonna meet..." Kai paused here and observed Tyson expectantly before concluding. "...easy; Tala."

Tyson stopped immediately when this information registered. His facial expressions betrayed his emotions and Kai found it extremely interesting to watch his friend shift through his emotions. At first there was shock, then anger dwelt up as Tyson was obviously remembering the big fight confrontation between the Russian blader and him, in the end it moved to complete refusal.  
Kai groaned. He knew what would come now, Tyson would start bickering about not coming along further. The half-Russian man knew that he hadn't the nerve to cope with that right now.

"Tyson listen to me. I don't know what happened back then between you two, and I won't act as if that would interest me in any way. There is only one thing that is important for me right now, and that is to find my parents. So either you get a hold on yourself now, or you better go back." Kai hoped he hadn't sound too harsh, but he had to make sure, that Tyson understood how important this was. Rationally he needed Tala more than Tyson right now, and if one of them made him decide then he knew how he would , no matter what turmoil took place inside of him.

Tyson hadn't moved from his place in the middle of the road. While listening to his friends words, his eyes had turned hard.  
"So you don't want me to come with you anymore?"

'I never asked you to come along in the first place.' Kai had to bite back the mean comment, which first sprang to his mind. A few years back he would have probably retorted in such a way, but he had learned and schooled his character some.  
"If you come with me or not depends on you. I'm only saying that I need Tala, and that I know, that you two have problems with each other. So, are you coming now?"

Tyson hesitated. The aim of their journey to Russia had come totally unexpected to him. He hadn't thought about Tala in the last year and would have been happy to never hear about him again. The thought of having to meet the other man was nearly unbearable. There had been just one fight to many between them. But then there was Kai. And he really wanted to accompany and aid his friend on his search. He sighed and decided that he needed more information.  
"Just tell me Kai, why do we need Tala?"

"Can I tell you while we walk?"

Tyson nodded unwillingly but started moving again. Kai felt his friends eyes boring into him, urging him to finally start explaining.

"Okay it's quiet simple. I don't remember much from the days in the abbey and nothing from before it, so I need someone else who would."

"You think Tala knows your parents?" Tyson asked disbelievingly.

Kai shook his head. "Not likely, but we were good friends back then, and I remember him telling me about his family. So it wouldn't surprise me if I've told him about mine. He could know, if they are alive, or where they used to live. He's the only person I can think of, who could give me such information. You see now why it is important for me to talk to him."

"Yeah." Tyson didn't sound happy at all, but he kept on walking. Kai gladly accepted the silence and fell into step beside him.

**xxxxxx**

They stood in front of the main house. It was an old farm house, and it being old was more obvious than it being a farm. They might not even have recognized it as such were it not for the chickens running over the dusty yard and picking in the dirt for something eatable, and for the animally noises coming from one of the two adjacent barns. The other one seemed to be unoccupied, which was a good thing, because it looked like it would collapse every moment.

"Are you sure that this is the right house?"

"Yes." Kai answered with more sincerity than he felt. He traced his fingers softly over the house wall and observed the plaster crumble to the ground under the gentle touch critically.

"What do you want?" A strong voice demanded.

At first the two friends had difficulty finding its source. When they did they found the person belonging to the call not really fulfilling their expectations. In the open window to their right stood a boy around seven years, his face hard and serious. Behind him hid a girl a bit taller and perhaps even one or two years older than the boy. You could tell that the children were siblings by their resemblance, both had the same thick, blond hair and dark brown eyes, and both their noses were slanting a bit to the right.

"We want to see Tala."

"Why?" Came the prompt retort.

Kai narrowed his eyes. He had changed in many ways, but children were still a plague to him.

"We are friends, so get him already!"

The girl made herself smaller so that she now was nearly completely hidden behind her brother. Then both turned around simultaneous as if they had heard something in the room. Tyson and Kai still waiting heard the tired voice of a woman asking something. The boy answered her suddenly very polite. "Two men, they want to see Tala." Again the woman was heard in the background, and the boy turned around again, not looking very happy. "Our aunt will open the door." He said curtly and disappeared inside. The girl looked at them for a second longer before she too stepped further back into the room.

Tyson smiled at Kai. The dual haired man groaned, of course the other teen would think different about the kids, but on the other perhaps he could keep them away from him. He smiled back.

Both had stepped to the door and looked curiously as it opened. In the door frame there stood a small woman, looking just as curious at them. Her body seemed to have lived through the hardship of life, and with her almost starved features and the shaking of her limps, she looked ill, liked she belonged in bed. But still, her eyes were full of life, gentleness and even a youthful naivety.

Kai somehow felt drawn to her, like she felt familiar. He often had had this feeling in past years, and had learned to read it. This feeling always plagued him, when memories he couldn't get to himself came back unexpected triggered by some smell, feeling or person. So was it possible that he knew this woman?

"You are friends of Tala?" She asked, her voice resembled the one of a child not sure if it was allowed to open the door to the strangers outside or not.

"Yes we are. I once was a team-mate of his. My name is Kai and that is Tyson. If you ask him, he'll confirm that." Kai endeavored to ease her worries.

Instead of moving aside to allow the two guests to come inside, she stepped forward until she stood directly in front of the half-Russian man. Kai felt suddenly nervous under her extremely penetrating gaze, and when she reached out to touch his shoulder he actually flinched away.

"What...?"

The petite woman took her hand back down. "I'm sorry, I just never thought, I'd see you again." The boy in front of her looked even more puzzled. "Oh perhaps you don't remember. I met you years back when you and my boy lived in that abbey. I'm Tala's mother. It's okay, you wouldn't recognize me, I wouldn't have you, but that hair..." She trailed of, suddenly breathless. She coughed a few times, still the air didn't seem to reach her lungs.

"Mrs. Valkov, are you alright?" Tyson broke into the conversation. She started to shake even more in response. Panic stricken Tyson reached for her elbow, trying to steady her on her feet.

"Inside." She gasped out between coughing fits. Tyson started to lead her trough the door, when he realized that Kai wasn't following them.

"Kai!" He shouted over his shoulder. The other man, who had remained standing completely still during the whole exchange, now broke out from his trance-like state and began to trail them into the house. That satisfied Tyson enough to continue dragging the small form inside.

Kai was swaying on his feet himself. Memories came to the surface, pounding from the inside against his forehead, paining him dearly. He staggered through the door, trying to concentrate on the task at hand. Tyson had lowered the woman, who had just introduced herself as Tala's mother, onto a wooden chair next to a big table.

Kai looked through another door frame on his left. There was the kitchen. He walked inside and after he had searched through some cabinets, he emerged the room again with a glass of watered, that he lowered gently into the womans hand.

"Drink this slowly."

Mrs. Valkov brought the glass shakily to her mouth. After a few more minutes the coughing subdued and her breathing eased visibly.

"Thanks boys, I'm fine now." Her gaze rested on her nephew and niece, who had watched the whole procedure more than a little scared from the corner of the room. "I really am fine. Why don't you two go and tell Tala that his friends are here?"

After receiving a reassuring smile from their aunt the kids finally left through the front door. Kai looked after them, wondering where exactly Tala was since they hadn't seen him anywhere out there.

Tyson was meanwhile still preoccupied with their ill host.

"Shouldn't you perhaps go to bed and lie down for a while, madam?" He asked politely and with true concern in his voice. She reacted as people usually did when he over flooded them with his openness and gentleness, so he got a very affectionate smile and a whispered extra thank-you.

"I've been lying in bed all morning and most of last month. You'll understand that, I'm better now and I think I can stand up for a bit longer."

Tyson nodded and settled back onto another chair. "Just tell me, if you want something."

Kai had turned his attention elsewhere. Standing in the front door he observed the siblings carefully opening the old barn's door. It looked like they were playing one of these games, where you had to pull out one block from a tower without it collapsing, only here in reality the door took the role of the block and inside the tower was the person, he flown hours to visit.

Kai held his breath, willing his friend and the children to come away from there as soon as possible. The kids stood in the doorway, giving the massage their aunt had sent them with over to the young man inside. Then finally they ran away, and found themselves a game buy chasing the chickens all across the yard.

Kai waited further, he hadn't taken his eyes from the barn's entry. Why wasn't Tala coming out. But there finally appeared the other man's silhouette in the doorway. Though no light fell onto the Russian, Kai could make out traces of red hair. He smiled, seeing this one person felt more familiar than brushing his teeth, even though he hadn't seen him in years.

Tala walked forward, perhaps to get a better look onto his guest. He didn't return the smile, moreover he didn't seem happy at all with the man he recognized in front of his home. Cold eyes were his welcome for his childhood friend. And suddenly Kai felt like there was more than just the yard separating them.

**Tbc...**

_**A/n: **I'm on a classtrip for the next week, so I'm not sure when you can expect the next update, but I'll try to make it shortly afterwards. Until next time!_


	4. Chapter 3

**Title: _Beside Me  
_**  
**Chapter Warnings: **allusions to child abuse  
**Disclaimer: **I really am infringing on someone else copyright, but I mean it in the best possible way.

**CyborgRockStar:** Yep, you are encouraging! I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Don't worry all the little confrontations will be explained in the course of the story.  
Thanks for telling me about the grammar mistakes. It's difficult for me to find them, and sometimes I know something sounds wrong, but I'm not sure how to correct it. If you're still willing to beta-read for me, then I'd gladly accept the offer.  
I hope you like this chapter.  
**Lunar Fire:** Thank you for reviewing. I love friendship, it's too important to not write about it. Tala's feelings will be explained later completely. Also thanks for the compliment on my English, I'm really trying my best with it. I hope this chapter will be to your satisfaction.  
**storm-of-insanity: **Thank you for reading. I hope you'll keep reviewing.

**4. Chapter Three**

"Something must be wrong here. My cousins told me my friends were waiting for me and now the only one I see is you Kai."

"Well perhaps you should tell when someone isn't your friend anymore, cause until now I wasn't informed about that fact either."

On the other hand Kai had mentally to admit that he wasn't completely uninformed either. The other man's behavior had told him a lot. He had known that Tala was angry at him since his former teammate had left Japan without a word some years ago. What he didn't know was why?

There were only two possible reasons, but both didn't satisfy Kai. First like everything else that was wrong it could be because of Voltaire. Perhaps Tala criticized him for taking his grandfather in, just like Tyson did. Kai had to admit, that Tala might have some more right to be angry in this matter than his Japanese friend. Voltaire was a ghost that haunted both of their pasts and Kai had taken it it's horror without consulting Tala first. Kai couldn't understand why no one took his actions for what they were, a human helping his only living relative. Everyone had known that the old Mr. Hiwatari hadn't had much time left. It had been Kai's last chance to spend some peaceful time with his family, but that didn't mean that he had forgiven or forgotten anything what had happened. It had just been tolerated at that time, just like his friends tolerated Kai's past faults.

The other reason would be Tyson. Tala and Tyson had had a big fight. Kai wasn't sure about the reason, but it had something to do with the BBA. He regretted now, that he had been too preoccupied back then to give that matter much attention, right now the only thing he remembered thinking at that time had been, that Tala had somehow been convinced, that he would side with him.

Kai made a mental note to ask Tyson about what had happened. He hoped that his talkative friend would be much more willing to provide him with some information than the angry young man in front of him.

"Yeah, as if I'd believe that you came here to pay me a friendly visit." Tala taunted further. "Just tell me what you want."

Kai fidgeted nearly unnoticeable. He hated to admit, that he came for help, but if he wanted it, then there was no talking around it.

"I need some information."

The answer interested and satisfied Tala in same parts.

"What kind of information?"

"I wanted to ask you to tell me everything you know about my parents." It was out, but Kai didn't feel relieved about it. The answer would be far more important than the question.

Tala felt the sudden urge to laugh, but the noise never came out as his throat had contracted in surprise. He hadn't expected this. Why would Kai come all the way from Japan to ask about his parents, and why ask Tala at all?

"Why are you asking this?" When he saw Kai hesitate, he added: "You tell me and I might answer you."

Kai nodded mutely. He turned a bit and closed his eyes against the setting sun. The young man took his time to arrange the words inside his head, then he slowly began to retell the important events of the last days, beginning with Voltaire's death.

**xxxxxx**

"Thank you again for your help Tyson. You know, you remind me a bit of Kai when he was younger. You've got the same curious look and you are just as helpful."

Tyson grinned politely like he used to do, when his grandmother told him that he must have grown at least five inches again since she last saw him two months ago. But inwardly he wondered what Kai had been like as a child and if it could really be possible, that they were more alike than he believed. He relented, that even one comparable point would be more alike than he gave Kai and himself most of the time.

"Perhaps you should go outside and help Kai to persuade my Tala. I know that he can be stubborn sometimes, even when he knows what is the right thing he hesitates."

This time Tyson's answer came immediately and from conviction. "No Madam, I wouldn't be of much help. Believe me it is better if I wait here with you."

Mrs. Valkov eyed him sceptically, but didn't ask farther as she was caught by another coughing fit.

**xxxxxx**

"I thought you might remember something that I've told you when we were younger, something that would at least tell me if they are really alive." Kai concluded, nervous to look at Tala for the reaction he got.

The red-haired man took his time to absorb all the information he had just gotten, while he tried at the same to answer two other questions, did he want to help and could he help?

The time that he and Kai had spend together in the abbey was a long way back. They had both been young and there had happened so many things during that time and in the years afterwards, that he had difficulties to sort through all those images.

Kai knew he was impatient, but if Tala was going to refuse then he needed to know it now! He misread Tala's silence as hesitation in answering him, like he was still wagering the pros and cons. 'Okay.' Kai thought, 'If that's the matter, then lets cut this short.'

"You don't have to see this as a favor, regard this more as some kind of business. You'll help in finding my parents, and in return I'll help you with whatever you want."

"With whatever I want?" At Kai's nod, Tala got a thoughtful look on his face. "My family needs to get the farm going again, but the machines are broken. I just tried to repair them, but couldn't. My uncle and older cousin are already working on a neighbor's farm to earn some money for us. You've got the money to change this."

Kai gulped, but didn't correct Tala. He personally didn't have that much money. Of course it was a lot more than most men his age possessed, but it wouldn't be enough to bring the ruins around him to modern standards. However if this was going to work he could pay Tala, either because his parents were dead and that would make him Voltaire's heir, or because he believed, that if he would find his parents alive, they'd probably help him out.

So it was okay and not dishonest to nod again.

"What do you know?"

Tala let the pictures play in his mind again, trying to point the important one's out.

"I remember that you showed me a photo of your parents. You told me bits about them. Like that you lived with Voltaire, because your father needed to take care for your mother. I think it had something to do with an illness, but I'm not sure. Still, yeah they were alive back then."

Kai's hands trembled involuntary at the impact the news had on him, so he balled them into fists. "Did I tell you where we lived?"

"You've always talked about the Pacific ocean. I... yes, I think it was some Japanese town with K." Tala rubbed his belly out of concentration and unsureness.

"We could go through all the Japanese cities on the south coast. I would probably recognize the name."

Kai nodded once more, this time hopefully.

"Do you know what happened to that photo, you talked about?"

The Russian young man decided, that this was unfair. Why was he forced to remember only because he could. He knew, that he didn't want to remember this particular memory, but once started they took the decision away from him.

**xxxxxx**

Tala flinched back, when the flame nearly touched his nose. The hands on his shoulders tightened, keeping him in place. The flame moved away, turning its attention to the boy next to him.

Kai didn't fare much better. He struggled helplessly against the hands holding him, already too hurt and weakened to pull up much of a fight.

Their tormentor watched the children's reaction with grate satisfaction.

"Tala tell me where you are."

The boy looked confused up to Boris. He knew that every word could be the wrong answer now.

"In my room sir?"

"Yes this your room. And wasn't it your room for the last few years?" Boris voice was demanding, but somehow amused at the same time.

Tala on the other hand still was unsure where this was going to.

"You remember when you lived with your parents? You didn't have such a nice room, you didn't even have your own bed, own desk, or own wardrobe. You should remember, that I took you in and gave you everything, when your parents couldn't."

While Boris got louder, Tala grew angrier. Perhaps he hadn't had a room or a bed for himself back at home, but still he had felt comfortable with his family. Boris had no right to talk to talk in such a way about his parents.

Still the man continued his taunting.

"You two should be thankful." Boris started again, taking Kai in into his lecture this time. "But instead you decide to run away yet again. It seems, that Voltaire didn't make an impact on you last time. I'll see to it that I won't make that mistake."

Both boys shuddered. Voltaire had left more than a little impression. Kai closed his eyes as if that would take him away.

"You know, that you hurt me by just leaving without saying goodbye." Boris was even more amused now through the boys' reactions. The position he was in was most enjoyable for him. "I don't know why I should still take all the trouble over you, if you two obviously don't appreciate what I give to you.

Take this room for example. You, Kai, are probably thinking, that it isn't good enough for you, while you Tala, might think, that you don't need all this. So tell me, why I should let you keep your things, if you don't want them?"

Boris didn't wait for the friends to answer, nor did he expect them to. With his next move he brought the flame away from the boys and held the torch high in the air. He threw Tala and Kai a last smug grin, then turned his attention towards the room.

"You don't want these?" He indicated to the beds. "Well I won't bother you with them anymore."

The man held up the bedsheets in one hand and brought the flame to their edges until they started to burn and threw them onto the two beds on either side of the room. The mattresses nearly immediately caught fire and after a while were joined by the pillows and bed frames.

Tala shook in fright against the guards hands. Their room was on fire! Boris was burning their room down!

And he wasn't quiet finished. Boris took two little backpacks, which were handed to him by one guard.

"So you wanted to take these with you?" Again his question was only rhetorical and not expected to being answered. "You want need them anymore either!"

He threw the bags with the boys personal belongings into the fire and looked at the flames in satisfaction.

Kai had stopped shaking. He watched his things being destroyed by the merciless flames. Tears dampened his cheeks, loosening some already dried drops of blood again. A softly moaned 'No.' escaped his lips. The sight of everything he had owned and belonged, and everything that reminded him of the life he had before this hellhole, smoldering in the fire moved him deeply.

Tala was even more stoic. All that was left in his eyes was hatred, and all that he felt was emptiness.

Boris only turned his eyes from the flames, when they got to near and to dangerous for him. He left the room with a heavy heart.

"Sir? What are our orders?" The guard to Tala's right looked a bit helpless and shot the nearing flames frightful glances from time to time.

The abbey chef halted. It was obvious, that he hadn't thought about his next moves. Burning down the room and putting fear into the children had been easy, but what now? Boris made some quick decisions, which should get him more time to enjoy his moment of pleasure.

"Let the fire burn some more. Only extinguish it, when it threatens to leave the room. Lock the boys in the cellar, perhaps they'll learn to appreciate a normal room after some weeks spend there."

He left whistling a happy tune, after having decided on the children's fate.

**xxxxxx**

"No, I don't remember what happened to that photo." Tala lied, somewhat still lost in his memories.

Kai noticed his friend's strange reaction, but didn't ask further. He knew, that Tala would tell him the things he needed to know. They had an agreement and Kai trusted the other man to keep to his side of it.

"So what now? You've got a detailed map of Japan, where we could look the town up?"

"Yes I've got a map, but it won't be necessary to study it here. I'm coming back to Japan with you, so we can still think about the city in the plane."

Tala had thought about this. The machines weren't working, so he couldn't do anything major at the farm. The little jobs could his cousins and mother do for today and tomorrow his uncle and older cousin were coming back, so he didn't need to worry about everything falling apart during his absence. It was also not a holiday journey he took, he was going to earn money by helping Kai. Was there any better way to aid his family?

"You're coming along too?" Kai wasn't sure if this was a good idea. On the one hand it would be great to spend some time with his childhood friend again and to try to repair their relationship somewhat, but on the other hand it would make everything more complicated. Tala still didn't know, that Tyson was with him and would stay with him for the rest of the journey. So arguments in every possible constellations could be expected, and that wasn't something Kai wanted to deal with right now. He wanted to find his parents and not keep his two best friends from killing each other.

But right now he wasn't even sure if Tala was serious.

"I said, I'll help you with this. How could I do this from here?" Tala already turned to make his way over to the main building.

Kai fell into step besides him, still not very convinced by this arrangement. He thought that he should perhaps forewarn Tala about who he would find inside with his mother, but decided against it.

"Okay, then lets leave as soon as possible."

**xxxxxx**

"How much did you tell him?" The angry voice asked.

"Nothing! He got the information from Mr. Hiwatari's last will. I'm not even sure, if he believed what was written." The blond man defended himself.

"He and another kid left Japan."

"But that's good!" Mr. Bradshaw shot in.

"No it isn't! It tells us that he's active now. They aren't in the right place yet perhaps, but the young one will try to find his parents and will stumble across us!" The voice sounded even more angry now. "If he had stayed where he was, that would have been good."

The notary leaned with his hip against the burly desk. "I did nothing wrong. It was not my job to plan, or to hold the youth back. I was only responsible for Voltaire, and I think I've done good work with that. You should have thought about the boy before."

"Be careful what you say. As you've just said yourself, you're work is done and we don't need you anymore."

Arthur's eyes glistered with anger. He hated it to threatened, but he had to admit, that this man had the power to do so.

"So what now?"

"Don't worry. If they'll come to the city, we'll know about it. They will be handled as the problem they are. We won't let everything be taken away from us now, after our plan succeeded for the last year. Just let us know if Kai Hiwatari returns."

The blond man opened his mouth to ask one more question, but the peeping in the line told him that it would stay unanswered. He disconnected too and tried to focus his concentration back onto his normal cases.

**Tbc...**


	5. Chapter 4

**Title: _Beside Me  
_**

**Chapter Warnings: **little, little bit of violence at the end of the chapter

**Disclaimer: **I really am infringing on someone else copyright, but I mean it in the best possible way.

**_Special Thanks:_** goes to CyborgRockStar who beta-read this chapter and made it much more readable. Thank you very, very much.

**5. Chapter Four**

Tyson sat in his seat, fuming. He tried to block out the words, which were spoken beside him, but that at least one of the two talkers wanted him to listen made the conversation difficult to ignore.

"You could have told me it was him with you." The words weren't reproaching only angry.

"You knew that I wasn't alone. Who did you think was with me?" There wasn't an answer for a while.

"Can we at least send him home, when we've reached Japan?" The comment was deliberately spoken louder than necessary and Tyson needn't been asked twice to take the challenge.

"If your memory would function a bit better, there wouldn't be a reason for you to be here. So blame your useless brain and not me for us having to take the same flight."

Tyson leaned forward and turned to his right, so that he could look the other man directly in the eyes while speaking.

Tala, who sat two chairs down the row, responded to the gesture in the same way, only that he had to turn left.

"Don't you understand me? I don't have a problem with me being here, but with you! I at least have a task and a reason to be here. You don't!"

Tyson puffed, ready to advance at the taller man, but was stopped by a hand that pressed him back into his seat.

"Stop this Tyson!" Kai didn't have to raise his voice in order to get his point across. He had been caught in the middle of the other two bickering for hours now, and since they sat in the plane he didn't even have any place to escape to.

Kai caught sight of Tala grinning on his right. He didn't push him back down or touch him, he only growled at him. "You too, Tala."

Everyone turned quiet again. Three young men in a bad mood. Each of them for a different reason, but still connected somehow.

Tala couldn't understand his anger himself. Consciously he knew that he could neither be angry at Tyson for being here, nor at Kai for taking the other man along. And thinking about it, he didn't even know why he was here himself. He could have studied the maps at home, pointed Kai in the right direction, and waited for the success of Kai's search and his money.

The truth was, that he had wanted to leave the farm for some time now, and going with Kai had given him a reason to do so. It was kind of funny to think about it. When he had first arrived home, after all his business in Japan had been finished, he had been convinced, that he'd never leave again. But soon he had to realize, that he wasn't made for the regular family life. He had never learned to live that way, and it wasn't easy to get accustomed to new things in his age. Tala knew that he had only stayed to help his mother and other relatives with the difficult financial situation.

It seemed like he had hoped that this could become an adventure with an old friend and a nuisance like Tyson was somehow destroying this perspective.

Tyson himself had, of course, a completely different view on the whole thing. First of all he had come along to help Kai, and, if he was in an admitting mood Tyson would perhaps add, to gain the other man's respect. But Tyson wasn't in admitting mood and on top of everything he was angry at Tala. The Russian had the talent to treat him worse than even Kai did on his worst days. And Tyson was convinced that he could cope better with this situation, if he could understand what had made Tala so suddenly hostile towards him. All he remembered from the argument when it first roused was that Tala had accused him of aiding the BBA in destroying the spirit of beyblade in the children's minds.

Rubbish! Of all of them he was the one who had always held beyblade the highest. He would never use the sport for ulterior motives. And he was sure the BBA wouldn't either. Tala's critics for the new found boarding schools or the commercial contracts had also come totally out of the blue.

Somehow the man had been able to find a sore point: the only thing he had always been self-confident in was suddenly questioned.

Kai for his part wasn't really angry at anyone, perhaps only at himself. His two friends hadn't been of much help yet, and he didn't know how long he could cope with their constant fighting. Normally he wouldn't be too interested if the others would decide to shoot each other in the head, but under these circumstances it was doubly complicated. Firstly this situation was starting to frustrate him. The search wasn't going as smooth as he had hoped and it was just expressed in another way through the bickering.

Secondly, what made it all more complicated was that he wanted Tyson and Tala to stay. He wouldn't think about sending one of them back. Tyson seemed to have a relaxing effect on him. On the flight to Russia Kai had been a nervous wreck, but Tyson had somehow been able to keep the mood up, even though it was through annoying questions and childish antics. To have him not here would mean to fall into tense and dark brooding.

Tala was just as important to Kai at the moment. They had known each other for a long time now, and Kai knew that he could rely on his friend. He himself was much too distracted, afraid to oversee any clues, but if he did, then there would still be Tala to notice. And of course there was yet the possibility, that Tala would finally remember the town's name, and give them with that a starting point in their search for his parents.

As if on cue Tala spoke up. "Kai, I think this one could be it."

**xxxxxx**

The woman watched irritated as her husband paced the room once more. She had been against this from the beginning. Not out of moral reasons, but because it was too risky. And of course now they had it!

"Please stop it and sit down, Ernest! The others will be here soon, better think about what you want to tell them."

"Not much to think about. I know what we have to do," came the gruff response. Still Ernest came over and seated himself at the table next to his wife.

"You aren't suggesting we give up, are you?" asked the woman, unconvinced. She frowned, so that her already wrinkled forehead got bristled with small lines.

"No." The old man snorted scornfully. "We've earned everything we have now. They would have wanted it this way. There's absolutely no reason to give up. No, my plan is another one."

The doorbell kept the woman from asking about the contents of this plan. A few moments later another couple was accompanied in by a seemingly young butler.

Ernest nodded his thanks, but waited with greeting his friends until the door was closed again.

"Welcome. Benjamin. Joyce." He shook Benjamin's hand and kissed the woman's cheeks.

The visiting pair was younger and seemed more nervous. Joyce held onto her husband's hand even after they sat down.

"Gillian, you sounded nervous on the phone. Is something wrong?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to tell you there is. Ernest has gotten news, yesterday, that three young men are on their way here. One of them is Kai Hiwatari."

"Their son?" Benjamin asked softly. A question he knew the answer to and really didn't want to have it confirmed.

"Yes." Ernest took over. "I've called Mr. Bradshaw yesterday. Obviously he's given out more information than he was supposed to. They left as two from Japan, flew to Russia, and are now as three on their way here. I'm not sure how they could find their way here this fast. It was always said that after that kid lost his memory only Voltaire knew where to look for them."

Joyce started to stamp her feet nervously against the floor and bang her hands against the table. Fear was written all over her face, and when she spoke it was also evident in her voice.

"Oh God, Benjamin, what do we do now? Ernest, you have to keep them away!"

Her partner gently took her hands to keep them still. "Don't worry, Joyce. Do you see the sparkles in Ernest's eyes? He has a plan."

"Yes he has." Ernest obviously enjoyed the attention he got. He curried his gray hair back, and waited for the others to beg him some more to share his plan.

"Oh come on, tell us already." Gillian wasn't the slightest bit moved by her husband's calmness.

"Okay, listen. I've already organized everything. They are only kids, put some fear into them and they'll run away. It'll look like a robbery, they'll forget their original intention over the new stress, wish for nothing more than to go home and we won't have to worry anymore about them finding out anything."

**xxxxxx**

"Can't we look for another hotel. Kai? This one looks kind of creepy."

"Creepy?" Tala snorted. "Because it doesn't have a white-purple facade?"

"Tala, can you pay the cab driver, while I book us some rooms?" Kai didn't wait for an answer. He had broken up and moved out of the argument at the same time.

Tyson sprinted after him as fast as his heavy bag allowed.

"Kai, wait. The driver said that there was another, more comfortable hotel. Why don't we go there?"

"This one is more central."

"Yeah, but it looks cheap and dirty."

"It is cheap and dirty."

Tyson had finally caught up with Kai. "All the more reason to search this other one."

Tala had already paid and was now lifting his bag onto his shoulder. He observed Tyson and Kai walking side by side to the hotel's front door. He thought about staying outside a little while longer, somehow he didn't feel like joining them just now.

Between all the other people who occupied the lively street Tala caught a glimpse of three men approaching his friends in a rather odd way. They were sneaking, clad in gray, dark green and dark blue, their faces hidden behind conspicuous high-worn scarfs.

Then he noticed that three other men were approaching them in the same fashion from the other side. The front man of each group held a bat in his hands. Knowing that all this couldn't mean anything good, he let his bag fall down again, and sprinted after Kai and Tyson.

Tala was still about ten meters away, when at a sign both row-leaders raised their bats to strike, aiming at the young men's backs.

He realized that he would never make it in time, and hoped desperately, that the street wasn't too loud to swallow his voice. Tala shouted with all the power he had the shortest comment he could come up with. "Down!"

Tyson was just busy with trying to convince Kai to visit the Italian restaurant he had found on the other side of the street with him later, when he was brought to the ground. He groaned as his chin hit the concrete painfully and his much too heavy bag landed on his back.

Kai had tried hard to blend Tyson's voice out, as they made their way over the street and through a mass of people, who were just entering a bus. The other man was talking about food. That much could Kai tell from the too excited and too pleading tone the voice held.

Just as they stepped out between the people and as the front gate was nearly in their reach, he could make out another voice, its owner known to him. "Down!" came the shout from somewhere across the street.

He didn't think. He and Tala had trained together much too long together for him to not react without questioning the command.

He grabbed Tyson by his jacket and threw them both to the ground. The feeling of flying air and the 'swosh' like sound told him, that they had made it just in time.

Tala watched, relieved, as the other two hit the ground not a second too early. He sprinted on. Meanwhile Kai was on his feet again. It seemed like he had quickly assessed the situation they were in, because he started lashing out at the man nearest to him. In consequence he was jumped by two others, one of them with a knife in hand.

As soon as Tyson had been able to get up, he tried to pry the attackers off of his friend.

Tala reached the scene in the minute in which the remaining men grabbed Tyson's arms and separated him from the bundle which held Kai in its midst.

Tala picked up one of the bats that seemed to have fallen down sometimes during the fight and hit one of attackers that held Tyson square on his back. The man fell down and Tala and Tyson were able to become untangled enough from the other two to catch their breaths.

The Russian pushed Tyson towards the door in these seconds. "Go call the police!" He spoke on purpose loud enough for the masked men to hear, out of hope that they would back off through the threat.

Tala's hopes were shattered as the one on the ground had picked himself up again and helped his two companions to throw Tala against the hotel's stone wall. All of his punching and boxing hadn't helped anything and even as he nearly succeeded in pulling one's scarf down it had only distracted them shortly.

As his head connected with the wall, Tala felt nothing and his vision turned black for a few seconds. Still he was able to make it shakily back to his feet.

By now the people who had been standing confusedly and helplessly around started to react and helped the victims by shouting at the attackers and chasing them away with kicks and punches.

Tala sank back to his knees. His head was still spinning constantly. He looked around and made out Kai kneeing about two meters away in a similar fashion, only he was holding his shoulder.

"Kai, are you alright?"

Kai looked up. His shoulder pained him. The hand that covered the wound was already smeared with blood. 'It didn't feel this bad right after that bastard had stabbed me,' Kai wondered. He realized that he still hadn't answered Tala.

"I'm fine. You?"

"I'm okay too."

"Tyson?" Kai questioned. Tala looked around once more. He hadn't seen the agile Japanese since he had sent him inside.

"Here, they are here!" That was Tyson's voice. Seconds later they were joined by the young man and with him came about ten policemen.

"Too late." Kai thought miserably.

**Tbc...**

_**A few short review responses:**_

**Storm-of-insanity:** Sure. You don't need to ask, just go ahead. And thank you for reading.**  
CyborgRockStar: **I don't think I've answered you already, did I? There will be more flashbacks in the next chapter, I hope you'll like them too. Oh, and Tala and Tyson will get to know each other much better in the next chapter too.  
I hope this one didn't disappointed you. I wasn't glad with the last part, perhaps I'll rewrite it one day.**  
Anon.:** Thank you for the compliment. You should know a bit more about the mystery man by now, and you will get a bit more in each following chapter. 

_Sorry that this one took so long. I hope I'll be able to get the next one out a bit sooner. _


	6. Chapter 5

**Title: _Beside Me_**

**Chapter Warnings: **again, there's a bit of violence in this chapter

**Disclaimer: **I really am infringing on someone else copyright, but I mean it in the best possible way.

_A big apology goes out to **CyborgRockStar**. I'm sorry I couldn't reach you for some time now due to some computer and e-mail problems. I hope to be able to talk to you soon and that you will still like this chapter with all those mistakes in it. _

**6. Chapter Five**

The street was in a total chaos. The policemen screamed at everyone around, demanding information of where the attackers went and what had happened. The people were more than willing to tell the police everything they had seen and more. Soon the attackers had been made into everything from normal thieves to skinheads and anarchists to assassins, and one especially strange old woman was convinced that they had been demons send by a dark force.

In the middle of it all the three young men were not really interested in what was happening around them.

Tyson had hurried over to Kai right after his arrival back on the street. The way the older man cradled his arm and the sight of blood on him made Tyson anxious. Kai started to get up, his movements still somewhat choppy, but strong.

"Kai, stay put. You're bleeding. Wait for the doctor." Tyson tried to push Kai down on his good shoulder.

Kai struggled a bit to stay up, but stopped when Tyson's hands were joined by others. Tala kneeled next to his head.

"He's right this time. Stay down," Tala whispered fiercely.

"What...?" Kai was a bit confused. The other two agreed? Perhaps he had hit his head also. But no, that couldn't be it. He looked at Tala's serious face, light dawning.

"You think…they're still here?"

Tala nodded, while guiding Kai into a lying position once more.

"They or someone else for them. Just buy us some time. I know you can look more hurt than you look right now, if you want to," he said smiling.

Kai grimaced at the soft chiding. "I'm not nine anymore, Tala. Besides, your acting was always more convincing."

Still he tried to look like he was in a bit more pain, which was much easier than he wanted to admit. His shoulder really hurt and some other body parts did as well.

"I know I'm better, but the special-effects are on your side." Tala indicated to the blood seeping from Kai's wound. At the same time he dug through his friend's bag, which he had found standing beside Kai, and pulled a t-shirt out. He folded it and pressed it directly on Kai's wound.

Tyson felt a bit lost in his friends' conversation. Did they really mean that some of the attackers were still watching them? He shuddered at the thought. And why should they watch? Were they going to try it again? And on second thought, try what? That sure hadn't been a robbery, and it hadn't been an attempt to kidnap them or kill them.

Finally a policeman had the grace to come to them. Tyson was ready to snap. What was it that they had said on the phone? 'Don't worry. We'll come immediately and help you.' Okay, so they had come really fast, but he had been worried, and until now they hadn't even thought about helping them.

Even now the man didn't speak with them. He just took in the situation and ordered someone else over his walkie-talkie to call an ambulance.

"Just stay calm. An ambulance is on its way, it'll bring you to the hospital. We'll follow you there and take your testimonies there. I just need your names now."

Tala promptly gave their names, seemingly happy with the course this was taking. Kai too didn't seem too disturbed by all the things happening around him. Only Tyson sat there on the sidewalk starting to question himself about if he had missed anything.

**xxxxxx**

Kai lay in the soft hospital bed. The police had just left, and Tala with them, stating that he was going to get them some coffee, but Kai was sure that he just wanted to be alone for a bit. He observed Tyson sitting on a plastic chair next to the bed he was laying on, looking rather worse for wear, confused and agitated.

"You don't need to worry."

"I'm not worried," Tyson said, nearly pouting. Then: "What exactly would I be worried about?"

Kai shrugged. "You're nervous."

Tyson fingered the seam of his shirt. "Perhaps I wouldn't be, if you would tell me what's going on."

Kai sat up and pushed the clean white sheets away from his body. He still had his own dirty trousers and socks on, but his shirt, jacket and shoes were missing. Looking around the small room, he couldn't see them anywhere.

The Russian moved so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting until a small wave of dizziness passed before standing up.

Tyson didn't like the look of this. The wound had just needed some stitching, and the tetanus vaccination, which Kai had been behind with, had been refreshed. But still the doctor had been insistent that his patient stayed in the hospital until he had seen to him again.

"And what makes you think that I know more than you do?" Kai walked slowly over to the wardrobe in hope to find his missing pieces of clothing there. They weren't in it.

The young man scowled in frustration. He didn't want to stay in the hospital any longer. And for once it was not due to his hospital phobia. To be honest as far as hospitals went, he liked this one very much. The doctor hadn't bothered him with too many questions, and the nurse had let him decide for himself if he wanted to take the painkillers or not, though they had made him stay in bed for some time. The room was unusually big for hospital rooms and held only one bed. It was obviously reserved for private patients, but since it was unoccupied at the moment, the hospital staff had assigned it to Tyson, Tala and him to have some privacy for their statement to the police.

However it was time to leave now. Their first day in the city was nearly over and they hadn't accomplished anything yet. If they left the hospital now, they still had a few hours until sunset. Kai hoped that that was enough time to get a first hint about his parents' whereabouts.

"On the sidewalk you and Tala sounded like you knew what was up and what to do," Tyson put in while watching Kai search through some shelves Kai pushed the last drawer shut. He had heard Tyson's comment. From the sound of it, it was evident that the younger man somehow felt left out again. It was almost impossible to be together with Tyson and Tala without making one of them feel left out or angry at him.

On the one hand, if he shared memories or inside jokes with Tala, Tyson, like now, didn't understand anything and always looked hurt when nobody volunteered to explain him the story behind the remarks. But Kai had to parry they mostly weren't easy stories to tell without ruining the mood, and some were just impossible for him to talk about.

Tala on the other hand seemed to be disappointed whenever Kai couldn't remember specific events or when it obvious how much they had changed and grown apart, like already the fact that Kai was good friends with Tyson showed.

Perhaps it was time to do something about this. Kai trailed back towards the bed and sat down, so that he could face Tyson.

"You know where my things are?" he asked, counting on the prospect that Tyson wouldn't want him to leave the hospital yet.

"Maybe, but don't you think you should stay here a little longer? I mean, we have to wait for Tala anyway, and who knows when he'll be back. You could use the time to rest just as well."

Kai involuntarily had to smile. Yep, he had been right. The other man was sometimes so transparent. Tyson must have hidden his clothes to keep him from departing.

"We could make a deal." Tyson looked back up in interest. "I tell you what Tala and I've been talking about, and you give me my clothes back."

The Japanese man leaned his head from one side to the other, obviously surprised by the offer.

"You would really tell me?"

Kai nodded. "But then we're going."

"No. You tell me, then we wait for Tala, and then we leave," Tyson retorted challengingly. When Kai didn't answer right away, he hoped that he hadn't gone too far and lost his chance to hear one of the rare stories.

Kai meanwhile wasn't interested in negotiating anymore; rather, he was asking himself if Tyson really thought that he wanted to leave so desperately that he would leave Tala behind.

"Deal. This 'looking as hurt as you can' is something Tala invented in our early days in the abbey."

Tyson had shifted his chair nearer to the bed and was now listening intently.

**xxxxxx**

Kai shielded his face as well as he could, but still some fists found their way through to his eye, cheek, shin, or nose.

The pain and exhaustion made his arms feel heavy, and it became less and less frequent that he could deliver a punch or duck away from one. The wall against his back was a blessing and a curse at the same time. It was the only thing that still held the boy upright, but at the same time it hindered him getting away and let him be cornered easily.

Through his mind's dizziness he registered the taunting voices of the older teenagers moving away from him. Perhaps his attackers had found a new victim.

Tala!

Kai looked around franticly. He couldn't make out much since hectic movements only increased his dizziness and resulted in him stumbling to the floor.

"Kai?" The voice came from somewhere to his left. He tried to distinguish the face but ended up recognizing the other boy by his red hair only.

Tala didn't feel much better than Kai at the moment but looked less beat up. Only his nose was bleeding. His breathing, however, was still heavy, and his chest and stomach pained him.

"Kai, do you hear me?" Tala touched the smaller boy's shoulder to get his attention.

"Yes, sure. Are you okay?" Kai mumbled through his bleeding lips. His sight seemed improved again, or so the fact that he could make out Tala's contours told him.

"Fine." He paused. "The guards are coming. Can you look a bit more hurt?"

The smaller boy looked confused at his friend. "What?"

"You need to look so miserable, that they won't send you to punishment. Do you understand?"

Kai nodded. It sometimes happened, if someone was in a condition where the guards would risk serious injury and training absence, that they would refrain from putting the child through punishment.

"What about you?"

Tala shook his head. "It wouldn't work for both of us. If they could punish neither of us, they'd only get so frustrated and angered that in the end they wouldn't care for the risks anymore and take us both. So just stop asking and be your usual pathetic self."

He then helped Kai to smear the already drying blood a bit further around, so that his wounds seemed to be larger.

When the approaching guards became visible at the end of the hallway, the boys' anxiety grew.

Kai knew what Tala's plan would mean for his friend. Punishment was always easier to endure when you weren't alone to take the brunt of it.

He brought his trembling lips up to the red-haired boy's ear and whispered what was important for him to tell Tala before they were separated. "Come back soon. I'll repay you somehow."

Tala pushed Kai back down so that he was flat on his back. The guards were only a few feet away, so nothing was to look suspicious now. He hurriedly whispered back to his friend, not wanting to go without giving an answer first.

"Don't think anything of it. Just be there when I come back, okay?"

"I promise."

**xxxxxx**

Tyson wanted to ask further questions, wanted to know what happened afterwards, but he had learned long ago that pressing Kai about these things never worked, so he always accepted the bits and pieces that were delivered unto him. So instead he concentrated on today's happenings.

"So what does that have to do with the people who attacked us today?"

Kai blocked the memories from that day out again and instead concentrated on Tyson's question. _'Where the hell is Tala?'_

"Nothing really. It's just a way of holding the enemy away until you're ready for him."

Tyson looked a bit doubtful. "But why have you been so sure that they would stop when you were down and not attack further?"

Kai raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What do you think they wanted? If they had wanted to kill us, they could have easily shot us from afar, and they didn't try to steal anything from us."

The young man opposite leaned back and distorted his face into a pout. Why couldn't he analyze situations like that?

"So what did they want? Obviously not to talk or take us out for dinner," Tyson bit back.

"No, they wanted to frighten us," Kai deadpanned. "You're going to give me my clothes back now?" The topic was closed now for him; he had talked enough as it was. He knew that Tyson still had questions, but so did he, and there was no one to answer his either. _So let Tyson think for himself for a bit._

Tyson obediently got the clothes from where he had hidden them behind the curtains and surrendered them. Kai's brain was still reeling while he pulled the shirt over his head.

What did all this mean? Had it anything to do with his parents, or was this all just bloody coincidental?

**xxxxxx**

Tala meanwhile sat in the hospital's cafeteria. He sipped on his second coffee now. It tasted great, at least to him. How he had missed machine-made coffee! On the farm they still brew their coffee the old-fashioned way. The problem was that their filter didn't seem to filter, and they often found little bits of coffee beans in their mouths. He hated that.

His head ached more fiercely as yet another family entered the already too crowded and too noisy room. He wanted to lay down somewhere in complete silence. Hopefully they would leave for the hotel soon, but of course they couldn't leave as long as he was sitting here.

Although he knew this intellectually, he couldn't get himself to finally leave his place at the window, so instead he leaned his left temple against the cool glass surface and closed his eyes. Just as he nearly succeeded in blocking everyone else in the room out, a hand softly tapped on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Tala identified the woman as the one who occupied the table next to his with her three children. One of them had a broken leg and a sling around his right arm. He had seen her earlier cutting his food into small pieces so that he could eat it with his one good hand. Now her concerned look rested upon Tala. He hurriedly nodded to reassure her, while sitting up straight again to not look the part of being worried over anymore.

"I'm fine, thank you."

He watched her as she hesitantly walked back to her table. There she knelt beneath the smallest girl to softly clean her nose.

Tala suddenly wondered how his own mother was doing. She had been sick for a long time and hadn't gotten better, but thankfully hadn't gotten worse either. Otherwise he would probably have felt even worse for leaving. As it was he could, however, still hope for Kai's money to finally help him get her to a doctor.

The young man walked slowly over to the counter and ordered his third coffee. He debated a little with himself, but then decided that it would be easier for all of them if they got the day over peacefully. So he changed his order and made it two black coffees, for him and Kai, and one white with sugar for Tyson. The Japanese man wouldn't be able to accuse him of being thoughtless now.

Tbc…

_Thanks to everyone who still reads BM. I hope you enjoyed this! I've learned to not make any promises about the date of future updates, so I just say: Cheerio and until next time!_


	7. Chapter 6

**Title: **_**Beside Me**_

**Disclaimer: **I really am infringing on someone else copyright, but I mean it in the best possible way.

_I have to apologize to all readers. I know that I took terribly long and I am sorry for that. You don't have to worry about me not continuing this story though. I promise, that I will see this completed and I hope very much, that some of you might stick along. So thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed the previous chapters. I try to get back to every one through the reply feature. Also a thank you to __**CyborgRockStar**__ who once again took the time to beta-read this chapter and made it more fluent and readable!_

**7. Chapter Six**

"Ernest, this is madness!" Benjamin circled his chair for the fourth time now. "You said something about them being kids and putting some fear into them, but nothing about attacking them and definitely nothing about injuring them."

Ernest didn't seem all that impressed by his friend's outburst; instead he was again flicking through the report he had gotten about the attack.

"Don't worry, they are already out of hospital."

Benjamin was more than put off by the other man's emotionless behavior. "Well, that's not the point. The point is, that we're responsible for putting them in there in the first place."

"Well, Benjamin, I know, that it may be difficult for you to proceed, but last year we'd made a decision, and from then on we've all been criminals. It's time that you accept that."

The younger man looked stunned. "We are **not **criminals, Ernest. Joyce and I are not criminals. This whole thing was your's and Gillian's idea. You said, no, you promised it would work out alright, that nobody would be hurt, nobody would care."

"Well, it was true at that moment. Voltaire was occupied with remembering his own name and Kai Hiwatari with taking care of the old man. If you regret everything now, then you can still go to the police. However, you should think about what that will do to you and Joyce. A few years in prison don't improve anyone's marriage."

Ernest was finished with the file by now and laid it neatly down on a pile on his desk. He folded his arms over his chest, leaned back in the seat and looked expectantly at Benjamin.

Benjamin wanted to yell at the older man, but he already felt foolish enough standing there, shaking with anger while Ernest kept up his stoic front. He wouldn't throw a tantrum like a small child: That would only confirm why Ernest looked down on him.

"Listen, Ernest. This is not about me being unreasonable, but it is about Joyce. The doctor was there today and had to give her a sedative, because she was totally out of it. If I have to decide between prison and Joyce's health, I'll choose her every day. So you better find a way to get rid of this problem."

"I see you finally got it, Benjamin. That's exactly the plan: we'll get rid of the problem."

Benjamin looked disbelievingly at Ernest. He didn't need to ask what the other man meant. His conscience told him to stay and to try to talk Ernest out of it, but somehow the need to just get everything over with was bigger. He didn't want to be part of what Ernest had in mind; however he wouldn't try to stop him.

Benjamin left the room without saying anything.

**xxxxxx**

"This hotel is so much better," said Tyson, while he let his heavy bag fall down on the bed.

"We got only one room." Tala grumbled as he entered the room behind him.

"That fact only shows how much better it is."

"They have cockroaches on the first and second floor. That's why they haven't got enough rooms. I can't see how that speaks of quality."

Tala took a short look out of the window before he angrily closed the curtains. From their window they could overlook the street and also the other houses across the street. Problem was, that that also meant, that people in those houses could look right into their room.

"They said we could get another two rooms tomorrow."

Kai said, still standing in the doorway. He hated this new role as a diplomat between his two friends. He felt like it was forced upon him and he could only decide between the current situation and sending them away and being all alone. He hoped the exterminators would make fast work on the other floors. Not only because then each of them could have their privacy, but also because being in the third floor meant, that jumping out of the window was out of question. And after just having been attacked out on the street a last minute way to escape would have been good.

He sat his pack down on one of the chairs standing around a small table which was set in the middle of room. Searching through his bag, he enjoyed the moment of silence that was enabled by everyone making their way around their temporary home.

Kai carefully removed his shirt. Inspecting the blood strain on the way, he decided to throw it in the bin right away. Not wanting to move his arm too much, he chose a dress short, which he he found on the bottom of his bag.

Tala sat heavily on one of the beds. His eyes were shut. Even the scarcely lit room somehow seemed to be too bright at the moment. He briefly wondered why he was so tired. He had drunk so much coffee that it should have kept him going for days. His headache was another problem. It didn't want to go away and he almost wished that he had let the nurses at the hospital take a look and prescribe him some painkillers. He was barely aware of Kai leaving the room.

Tyson had shut himself in the bathroom. He felt like sulking, but he wouldn't do that in front of Kai and especially not in front of Tala. They would just accuse him of acting like a child and even though he momentarily felt like one, he didn't want it to hear from them.

Tyson felt tired and it wasn't just the jet-lag, and even though running around with Kai always had the tendency to be exhausting this time it was different. The tense atmosphere had left him mentally exhausted. Here he was stuck in a small hotel roomwith two of the most grumpy persons he knew. Sighing, he realized that what he wanted most was someone to communicate with. He really wanted to talk about what had happened today. Normally he would have been able to do that with Kai, but ever since Voltaire had died the guy was under so much pressure that Tyson was happy when he talked at all. All the more he appreciated Kai's openness at the hospital. After he had brushed his teeth and used the toilet he decided, that he had no excuse to stay in the bathroom any longer.

Tyson let the door fall shut carelessly behind him. He looked around. Tala lay fully closed on the bed on the far side of the room. Even though his face wasn't showing, it was obvious that he was asleep by the steady rhythm of his breathing.

Tyson didn't really care. He was more interested in where his other companion had gone. He silently walked around the room, hoping against hope that Kai had left him a note, saying that he was out to get some food. Unsurprisingly he couldn't find one.

The room was plain. There wasn't anything to waste some time with, no TV, no radio. After finding nothing to do, Tyson decided to lie down. He was a bit nervous about Kai being out there alone, but if Tala was there not worrying but sleeping, he should be able to do the same thing.

He glanced at his watch. It was 9pm. Surely Kai would be back shortly with something to eat, waking him for dinner.

**xxxxxx**

Kai meanwhile wasn't thinking about food at all. He had walked out of the hotel room without a real thought about what he intended to do. Only when he had walked aimlessly around the city for a while he had realized what he was doing and set out to trail back to the hotel. What had he been thinking by just going out here searching his parents? Okay, this wasn't Tokyo but it was still very unlikely to just bounce against them in the street. "Especially when you don't even know what they look like.", Kai added frustrated.

Back in the hotel he thought momentarily about going back to their room, but the vision of sitting in there with the two others fighting, convinced him of staying away for some longer.

Kai trailed over to the bar and ordered a Scotch-Cola to start with. The old barman attended to his order, blasé, and then hurriedly walked back to the female custumer he had been talking with before.

Kai enjoyed the cold drink, the sensation of the ice-cubes against his lips whenever he prepared to take a sip. He realized that he also enjoyed it to being alone. Well not really alone. The evening traffic in the hotel was still more heavy than one would have expected. He briefly glanced at the clock, which hang on the wall over the elevators. Nearly midnight. Kai must have wandered out there longer than even he had thought.

He ordered another drink, which was delivered with the same lethargy to him as the first one. This one already had more effect on him than the first one. He felt himself relax, the pain from his wound eased away even more.

Kai leaned with his back against the counter and looked around the grand room. The reception desk was on the far side; to his left was the entry, which was composed of big glass doors that opened automatically; a red carpet marked the way through it up to the elevators to his right hand. These were the things that everyone could notice with the first glance, but for the first time Kai was interested in the small facts about this hall: the stairs leading up next to the elevators, about the ugly table cloths on the little tables in the waiting area, and about the half hidden telephone booth in the corner. He looked at the last item the longest.

Kai took his glass with him and moved a bit nearer to the phone. The phone book lay on a small table next to the apparatus.

The young man smiled grimly. No, it never was that easy. Still he continued to walk towards it. When he reached the booth, his nervousness grew. He rubbed with one hand the thumb of his other while staring at the book. Finally he grabbed it and skimmed through the pages. The letter 'H' jumped at him and he slowly turned the pages now.

Kai couldn't breathe it was so easy, so surreal. It couldn't be happening, but there it was _'Hiwatari, Fjodor'_ full with phone number and address.

Kai lay the book down again and went back to the bar to get a refill. _'It's never, never going to be this easy!'_

**xxxxxx**

He walked slowly towards the hotel room. No one was on the floor. Good. This way no one would remember him. Room 318. This was it. Remembering what his job was on this case wasn't difficult. He always did the dirty work. He would do it here. It didn't mean anything to him.

He moved the lock-pick into place. Make it look like an accident. It was always the same. If they aren't sleeping heavy enough, then kill them first, but don't forget to make it look like an accident. He wouldn't forget that. He was a professional. That was why he had been called.

He didn't know who the persons in the room where. He didn't want to know. Just take care of the people occupying room 318. That had been his job. That was what he was doing.

He stepped inside. Nothing was moving. He didn't hear himself moving even. But they'd soon wake up. However he would be gone by then.

He placed the ignitions. Prices had gone up for these, but they were the best. Quiet even during explosion and didn't leave enough evidence to verify arson. His client had the money; that made this job easy.

He made sure, that everything was settled and activated the timer. Then he just went out of the room and waited 30 seconds. He heard a crackling sound. It worked all right. He left.

**xxxxxx**

Kai had finally decided to make the call. It didn't matter to him anymore that it was in the middle of the night; it didn't matter that he didn't know what he was supposed to say. He could never drink enough to help him gather the guts to call in the morning, and if he would try this sober he'd fail for sure. He felt nervous enough as it was.

When he couldn't find his family name in the phone book again Kai felt already relieved, that he might have imagined things. But then there it was again. _Fjodor Hiwatari._ Kai quietly mumbled the name and listened to it's sound. Then he pronounced it differently and spoke it again. Kai wondered if in a minute he'd hear how the man belonging to the name emphasized it. He wondered what the other man's voice might sound like at all.

Taking another deep breath Kai put some coins in the slot and started typing in the given number. It took a lifetime to finally start ringing and even when it did nothing happened for a while.

'Please.' Kai pressed the earpiece harder against his ear as if to hear better.

It rang again. This time however a clicking sound could be heard afterwards. Kai held his breath.

"_You're talking with the answering machine of Fjodor and Natalia Hiwatari. We are currently not at home, but you can leave us a message. If it is urgent to reach us, then you can ask our neighbors for our mobile number. Bye."_

Kai put some more coins in the slot and called the same number again, but he just got the same answer. Again he called it, but this time he didn't care about the message and just listened to the voice delivering it. Could this be his father's voice? It didn't sound familiar, but since he wouldn't recognize the man, if he met him on the street it was highly unlikely that he'd remember his voice.

Perhaps his parents weren't really out, but just sleeping and not caring about the phone. The clock told Kai, that it was already half past one. He wouldn't answer the phone himself at this time.

He wondered if the address given in the phone book would be far enough away for him to take until morning to walk there. He'd never be able to sleep now, not after being so near his aim. So he could just as well start to walk to his parents' house now.

Kai didn't move, however. Everything was going too fast, almost too easy. Perhaps it was just the alcohol wearing down or his tiredness playing with his mind, but he was hesitant to really move. What if they didn't want him, didn't let him in, or even didn't remember him? That was the most horrible scenario possible.

He had never pictured meeting his parents, because he had thought them to be dead all these years. It had been logical, that he had to live with his grandfather as long as he believed, that his parents were dead. But what reasons were there now?

'Just go there and find out.' It was more Kai's practical side than his confidence coming out here.

He ripped the page with the address out of the phone book and made his way towards the door. Suddenly a siren started its ear-splitting ringing. Kai looked around confused. Nothing happened for a while. Then he heard a woman's cry. "Fire!"

People came running down the stairs only wearing their pajamas, shouting, nearly falling over, making their way towards the door. Kai was pushed to the side.

"Fire," he mouthed. His eyes opened wide. "Fire! Tyson! Tala!"

Kai pushed against the stream of people, sidestepping most of them and making his way to the stairs.

**Tbc...**


End file.
